Bong Bill Creates Bad Buzz for Sellers

This is the type of hit bong sellers don't want to take.

A law that bans the sale of bongs and other smoking devices at some shops takes effect Thursday, and 26 shop owners statewide are suing the state for passing it, media are reporting.

The law, sponsored this past legislative session by anti-drug advocate Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, requires that a store can only sell bongs, pipes and other smoking devices if it is a licensed tobacco seller and derives 75 percent of its revenue from the sales of smoking devices. Businesses can also sell the devices if they derive no more than 25 percent revenue from the sale of bongs or pipes.

The lawsuit, filed in Hillsborough County, calls the new law unconstitional and unenforceable. It asks that the effective date be pushed back a year.